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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Freedom of What?cott

Documentary
67 minutes, 2011
Rating: 8 out of 10

Let’s start with the downright amazing.

Bill Whatcott once successfully led a gay pride parade in Regina while carrying a ten-foot tall sign that said, “Bare bottomed pitifuls are celebrating buggery in Regina! God help us!” To pull it off, he hid behind pillars that were alongside the parade route and jumped out in front while holding his sign high. Parade participants rushed towards him and tried to use their signs to cover up his but they couldn’t, because Whatcott’s massive sign towered above theirs. A homosexual on rollerblades tried to run over him but only managed a glancing blow, which sent the rollerblader, not Bill, tumbling. Police then intervened. They warned the crowd that attacks would not be tolerated, and then, inexplicably, allowed Bill to continue to lead the parade!

Now to the downright crazy. Bill once handed out a flyer that depicted a close-up picture of a man’s bare rear end that was riddled with anal warts. Mine was one of the thousands of Edmonton households to get this vulgar 1-page photocopy and I was grateful that, in our case at least, no children had been exposed to this. Bill was trying to educate Edmontonians to a common consequence of homosexual sex. Good info to pass on, but is this the only way it can be presented?

In the documentary Freedom of What?cott it becomes apparent that even Bill’s closest friends think he regularly steps over the line. But even many of his enemies think he should be free to do that.

This fantastic documentary will have you admiring the man’s courage, questioning his sanity, and praying for the preservation of his freedom of speech. Topic matter, and some brief troubling visuals, make this unsuitable for children, but the importance of this issue makes it a must-see for all other Canadians. Watch the trailer below.